OCC by UTMB

For the race, Caitlin targeted a high carb intake well beyond the upper limit of our recommendations of 90g/h, consuming a combination of concentrated energy drinks and gels. Since her average intake for the race was just over ~120g/h, it’s clear that she has undergone extensive gut training in order to be able to tolerate such a high carbohydrate load. It’s likely that her high carb intake throughout the race allowed her to finish so strongly since this strategy will have maintained blood glucose levels sufficiently to support the pace she was running at throughout the race. High fueling (>90g/h carbs) is something we often see in male ultra-runners, and we observed the importance of this first-hand in a male professional ultra-runner at Western States 100 Endurance Run who was able to contest a sprint finish even at the end of such a gruelling event. The success of Caitlin’s fueling strategy highlights the benefits of high-carb intakes, even for smaller female athletes.

Caitlin has previously suffered from severe cramps during some of her races. In an attempt to overcome this, she pre-loads with sodium the day before each event using several bottles containing PH 1500 (Tablets) as well as consuming sodium bicarbonate in the morning before the race. At this event, she also carried two soft flasks, which she could refill with plain water at checkpoints, rivers and troughs on the course. Caitlin hit her in-race sodium intake primarily through the strategic use of salt tablets and another serving of sodium bicarbonate. As a result, Caitlin’s average relative sodium concentration was slightly higher than her sodium losses measured during her Sweat Test. She didn’t note any significant issues related to thirst or hydration status, suggesting that her hydration strategy was sufficient for a race of this intensity and duration.

Caitlin had pre-planned to use two PF 30 Caffeine Gels as part of her race nutrition strategy. This amount would have brought her in line with the recommended guidelines of 3 to 6mg/kg. Unfortunately, she was only able to find one of the PF 30 Caffeine Gels in her pack during the race, meaning she may not have maximised the ergogenic benefits of caffeine since her intake was below the recommended guidelines. In future, Caitlin could also consider pre-caffeinating using a PF 30 Caffeine Gel just before heading to the start line.